WADA Welcomes First Athlete Biological Passport Sanction

Following the first anti-doping rule violation sanctioned by a sporting organization under the scope of the Athlete Biological Passport on May 27, WADA commends the International Cycling Union (UCI) for its initiative and encourages other sports organizations to implement similar longitudinal follow-up programs.

“The Athlete Biological Passport adds a powerful tool to support the fight against doping in sport,” said WADA’s Director General David Howman. “Coupled with other strategies, it makes prohibited preparations harder to implement by those athletes who may take the risk to cheat. We know that the effects of some substances remain detectable in the body longer than the substances themselves. The Athlete Biological Passport Model allows the anti-doping community to exploit this reality through a similar approach to that used in forensic science.

“The harmonized operating guidelines adopted by WADA’s Executive Committee last December provide anti-doping organizations with a robust framework to support targeted testing and pursue anti-doping rule violations when appropriate. WADA continues to further develop the Athlete Biological Passport with its stakeholders, including by working on an endocrine module that includes steroid profiling. We look forward to seeing more anti-doping organizations follow in the UCI’s footsteps and implement such longitudinal follow-up programs in the comings months and years.”